Similar fragrances? (Creed and Amouage)

Hi Everyone!

I need your expert noses. I'm wondering if you have any suggestions for fragrances that are similar to either Aoumage's Reflection or Creed's Windsor. Both are ridiculously expensive and would like to find some alternatives. Thanks for your help!

Re: Similar fragrances? (Creed and Amouage)

Windsor. Nothing. There's another thread with info about that. I believe you're the guy who thinks GIT is a waste of money because Cool Water smells a bit like it. There's no similar situation with Windsor.
Don't know about Reflection.

I understand that they are both pricey. Have you tried them?

What is it you like about them that makes you want to buy something that smells like them?

Re: Similar fragrances? (Creed and Amouage)

Custo Barcelona for men reminds me a little of Amouage Reflection, but where as Reflection gives me headache after 15 minutes of wearing it, the Custo fragrance doesn't.
I must work out what it is in the Amouage that makes me feel ill, it's something strong that gets right up in my head.

Re: Similar fragrances? (Creed and Amouage)

Originally Posted by Craig

Custo Barcelona for men reminds me a little of Amouage Reflection, but where as Reflection gives me headache after 15 minutes of wearing it, the Custo fragrance doesn't.
I must work out what it is in the Amouage that makes me fill ill, it's something strong that gets right up in my head.

This happens with me as well. Resident Amouage and Reflection fanboy, SculptureofSoul, mentions that it also happens to many others when he wears it. It's maddeningly frustrating, because it's such a widespread problem, yet we can't figure out what the note that does it is. I really like Reflection apart from getting a migraine every time I wear it.

Re: Similar fragrances? (Creed and Amouage)

In one of the earlier Windsor threads, i was desperately hoping one of the BN veterans would know a floral/wood scent that was similar to Windsor, prior to buying any additional flacons. Months later, Windsor, as a composition, is without peer. Stages of it can be found elsewhere, never cheaply:
topnotes: a lot of Kilian's Prelude to Love, a little Blenheim Bouquet
middle notes: no luck yet.
Basenotes: Le Labo Rose 31

AFA Amouage Reflection, there are cheaper scents which have huge billowing clouds of sweet/powdery sillage, perhaps someone else can recall the thread or recommendations. Having smelled Reflection plenty, and depending on which aspect of Reflection it is that you like:

Reflection was really one I was eagerly anticipating, as the note list listed leaves/herbs and baies rose peppercorn....plus it's amouage's best packaging imo....too bad the scent was not for me. Hopefully Amouage gets one right for my taste, as their strength is outstanding across the line, and they can make predominantly synthetic frags which have very respectable overall profiles.

Re: Similar fragrances? (Creed and Amouage)

Dullah sums up the scents similar to Reflection, rather well, I think. That being said, I've not found anything that has the medicinal/camphory/jasminey (with hints of patchouli and sandalwood) drydown that Reflection has. That particular stage of the drydown always wows me. One other scent that has a few similarities is Joop!, although it's ..well, I could never imagine substituting it in place of Reflection.

I think what may be causing the headaches is a large dose of natural orris butter or C02 extract. Certain extracts, those high in ionones, tend to give me a headache when sniffed for even just a few minutes. The orris in Reflection definitely contributes to its sweetness, and dare I say is the predominant factor of it. If I could have you sniff Reflection next to this vial of orris extract at 25% dilution that I have, you'd see what I mean. It is very easy to spot the orris in there. I'm surprised Turin didn't pick up on this. The sweetness is definitely not from vanilla, at least not primarily so (there may be a hint of it in the base but I think that is the orris boosted with some extra ionones.) Also, real jasmine oil can be a bit of a headache inducer in many, as it's just so potent. I think the indoles contribute to the effect, along with the slight amount of indoles in ylang ylang and neroli, two notes also in Reflection. So you've got 3 white floral notes comprising the heart of the scent, along with a strong iris note. I think it's easy to see how/why this can be overpowering to the senses.

Quick question - does anyone else find that the more you wear Reflection, the less it bothers you? I find that my body adjusts to it and if I wear it two days in a row it doesn't seem to bother me at all. (I should mention that due to its strength I only wear 1 spray of it. It's an easy scent to over apply.)

One scent that is actually somewhat similar to Windsor that hasn't been mentioned is Six Scents Series 1, Number 3 "Spirit of Wood." This has the eucalyptus and some green notes, and a similar cedar base. The difference is that it's not as green and fresh up front and has no real floral elements. Instead it has more spicy elements - a noticeable coriander (seed.. the orangey/peppery note, not the leaf which can smell like salsa) note.

Re: Similar fragrances? (Creed and Amouage)

Dullah,

If you still have Reflection I'd be interested to see if you find it any different if you sampled it again. I've found myself anosmic to various elements of it at times, and during those times it was rather unpleasant.

While it is rather sweet, I don't find it powdery in the same sense as say, Cologne Blanche or Cologne Pour Le Matin or even Fleur du Male or Burberry Brit. In a sense it does smell of powder, anything with a strong iris note will tend to, especially when paired with orange blossom and a light wood like sandalwood, but it doesn't have that thick texture that I personally think of when I think of powdery. I guess that's an inaccuracy on my part as powdery to most is probably more about scent than texture, but I find that when the powdery scent profile is presented as it is in Reflection - in an airy, ethereal, soaring manner, it doesn't register (to me) as powdery in a negative manner.

Anyhow, in the opening there is a very clear petitgrain note (the listed "bitter orange leaves" note). It is momentarily obscured by the minty like ylang absolute top notes along with the camphor of the rosemary. As the camphor and minty notes recede the petitgrain should become rather clear to you. It's definitely not a straight petitgrain note - being modulated by the sweetness of the other notes, but it is there and it seems like whenever I sniff for it intentionally, it becomes clear as day and much more noticeable for the next 10-15 minutes (whereas if I'm not paying attention, it remains a rather amorphous note amongst the mix). The petitgrain is utilized excellently here to provide that thick roundness that the note has to what would otherwise be an overly sweet and aromatic opening.

The rosemary is noticeable primarily as that camphory blast in the opening and then as a slightly green woody note about 15 minutes later. If you have some rosemary oil (cineole type) available, try a drop on and wait for it to drydown (it doesn't take long) into a slightly odd, terpenic woody green note, something reminiscent of rosemary but not entirely so. It shouldn't be too hard to spot that note in Reflection, and with some attention, its presence becomes more noticeable throughout the opening and early middle notes. I find the pink pepper to be subtle for the first 20-30 minutes, but then it becomes more noticeable as it rounds out the neroli/iris (prominently neroli still) accord and augments the neroli's natural spiciness. The segue from the petitgrain/rosemary opening to the neroli/pepper early middle stage is seamless, so without careful attention all of the subtleties can be missed.

Of course, the naturalness and smoothness of the fragrance is not missed. If this were a lesser scent without a healthy dose of naturals in the opening the transition would not be seamless but instead wouldn't exist as it'd all be far more linear and without the depth and "3D" qualities evident here.

The neroli doesn't last long before the iris begins to dominate and the cool vetiver (smells more like a rhus khus, a vetiver distilled in copper) begins to show itself, too. I think all of the base notes in this blend are the varieties that have the most cool/camphorous qualities: I smell himalayan cedar, rhus khus vetiver, and a hint of camphorous patchouli, too. I know you have experience with most/all of those oils, and think you'll pick up on their presence here.

Anyhow, I hope you revisit the scent as it is easy for this scent to come off as just a simple sweetness but I find it to be so much more. I also think that many are sensitive to the natural orris in it. That and the (I believe, at least partially natural) jasmine are some pretty potent notes. The natural essences have both either given me headaches or made me feel a bit queasy when sniffed at high potency. I've found that it has taken me a long time to really understand all of the subtle complexity going on here and that as I understood it more I smelled much more depth in it and consequently find it to be less feminine than I first thought. Sure, iris, ylang and jasmine coupled together is likely going to register as a feminine accord to most western noses, but I do think it is balanced by the vetiver and patchouli (and less so by the cedar and sandalwood which are not as present to my nose) to at least fall back within the realm of modern floral masculine. It is at least as masculine as scents such as Kenzo Power, Fleur du Male, or Dior Homme, imo.

Sorry for the long write up and my near proselytizing ways. It's really just that as I sit here surrounded by this scent, which has been my unquestionable favorite for over 6 months now (and I don't see it being dethroned anytime soon), I hope for others to find something to love in it, too.

Actually, given how much I know you like Windsor and my less than favorable initial experience with it (I think my experience may have been at least partially hampered by a bout of chemical sensitivity), I'm going to give that a few full wearings soon and try to find something to love.

Re: Similar fragrances? (Creed and Amouage)

Sculpture, I don't know what Iris or several of the other notes you mentioned smell like, but you know that I too am a big fan of Reflection. I appreciated the write up. I look forward to trying Fleur De Male though, after seeing several mentions of similarity to Reflection.

Re: Similar fragrances? (Creed and Amouage)

Sculpture, thank you for taking the time to explain Reflection in a way I could never hope to. I have followed your journey with this one, including your spell of wrestling with anosmia and subsequent emergence from that, and have always felt a kinship as Reflection is also favourite of mine.

All I can say is that I don't find Reflection all that powdery, nor overtly irisy, for that matter. This is one composition that I tend to experience as a seamless, albeit complex, whole. I have seen various dismissive comments from time to time and I get the impression that the writers may have had a sniff or two and drawn the understandable conclusion that it's commercial, sweet, Joop-like and so on and left it at that. That's exactly what I thought when the Amouage line first arrived here - I just glossed over Reflection, and it wasn't till much later, after indulging myself with the more exotic offerings, that I found my way back to it and I now wear it more often than all the others put together.

It is a shame that some have this headache problem with it . . . I have encountered the same thing with one specific Guerlain and it's a bummer. For what it's worth, I have been wearing Reflection with impunity for a year or so and as well as enjoying it immensely (usually in the evening), have even received some lovely compliments along the way.

I personally think trying to find a cheap version of this is a bit of a pointless exercise but good luck anyway.

Re: Similar fragrances? (Creed and Amouage)

Originally Posted by Craig

Custo Barcelona for men reminds me a little of Amouage Reflection, but where as Reflection gives me headache after 15 minutes of wearing it, the Custo fragrance doesn't.
I must work out what it is in the Amouage that makes me feel ill, it's something strong that gets right up in my head.

Welcome in the club! Reflection and XXV rape my brain.. Especially Reflection almost make me sick! I had to get rid of it.

Re: Similar fragrances? (Creed and Amouage)

Originally Posted by mr. reasonable

Sculpture, thank you for taking the time to explain Reflection in a way I could never hope to. I have followed your journey with this one, including your spell of wrestling with anosmia and subsequent emergence from that, and have always felt a kinship as Reflection is also favourite of mine.

All I can say is that I don't find Reflection all that powdery, nor overtly irisy, for that matter. This is one composition that I tend to experience as a seamless, albeit complex, whole. I have seen various dismissive comments from time to time and I get the impression that the writers may have had a sniff or two and drawn the understandable conclusion that it's commercial, sweet, Joop-like and so on and left it at that. That's exactly what I thought when the Amouage line first arrived here - I just glossed over Reflection, and it wasn't till much later, after indulging myself with the more exotic offerings, that I found my way back to it and I now wear it more often than all the others put together.

It is a shame that some have this headache problem with it . . . I have encountered the same thing with one specific Guerlain and it's a bummer. For what it's worth, I have been wearing Reflection with impunity for a year or so and as well as enjoying it immensely (usually in the evening), have even received some lovely compliments along the way.

I personally think trying to find a cheap version of this is a bit of a pointless exercise but good luck anyway.

It's been a very interesting journey. Oddly, all of the anosmia and suffering I've experienced as a result of this fragrance has only brought me closer to it. I guess it helps that when I could (and now can!) smell it 'correctly' I absolutely loved it.

You are right in that it doesn't come off as overtly irisy, but I think that's because of the way iris is used here. I've found real iris butter, in blends, to behave much more as a diffusive, ethereal, and almost transparent sweet/violet note than the thicker rounder variety that is maintained for long periods of time in such fragrances as Infusion d'Homme and Infusion d'Iris, Dior Homme, etc. The very best iris absolute I had ever come across was so ethereal and transparent, it was like the sheerest silver gauze translated into an olfactory experience. I pick up that kind of halo-esque aura of iris here, rather than the thicker waxier note present in other iris heavy scents.

As it is, I am still coming to terms with the scent though and do find that it behaves differently on my skin from time to time - sometimes it is much sweeter than others and sometimes quite a bit spicier and it fluctuates in the balance between warm and cold notes, too. I love scents that vary like this when all variations are at least wearable if not enjoyable.

Glad you all enjoyed my write up. I felt it was about time that I wrote something about this scent again as I've finally overcome my torturous anosmia/sensitivity problems and have been enjoying it a ton lately. Since I started using the new BN way to post my SotD about two months ago, it's showing that Reflection is my number one at 15 wears, and Scents of Time Ankh is number two at a mere 4 wears.

Re: Similar fragrances? (Creed and Amouage)

Originally Posted by SculptureOfSoul

Dullah,

If you still have Reflection I'd be interested to see if you find it any different if you sampled it again. I've found myself anosmic to various elements of it at times, and during those times it was rather unpleasant.

While it is rather sweet, I don't find it powdery in the same sense as say, Cologne Blanche or Cologne Pour Le Matin or even Fleur du Male or Burberry Brit. In a sense it does smell of powder, anything with a strong iris note will tend to, especially when paired with orange blossom and a light wood like sandalwood, but it doesn't have that thick texture that I personally think of when I think of powdery. I guess that's an inaccuracy on my part as powdery to most is probably more about scent than texture, but I find that when the powdery scent profile is presented as it is in Reflection - in an airy, ethereal, soaring manner, it doesn't register (to me) as powdery in a negative manner.

Anyhow, in the opening there is a very clear petitgrain note (the listed "bitter orange leaves" note). It is momentarily obscured by the minty like ylang absolute top notes along with the camphor of the rosemary. As the camphor and minty notes recede the petitgrain should become rather clear to you. It's definitely not a straight petitgrain note - being modulated by the sweetness of the other notes, but it is there and it seems like whenever I sniff for it intentionally, it becomes clear as day and much more noticeable for the next 10-15 minutes (whereas if I'm not paying attention, it remains a rather amorphous note amongst the mix). The petitgrain is utilized excellently here to provide that thick roundness that the note has to what would otherwise be an overly sweet and aromatic opening.

The rosemary is noticeable primarily as that camphory blast in the opening and then as a slightly green woody note about 15 minutes later. If you have some rosemary oil (cineole type) available, try a drop on and wait for it to drydown (it doesn't take long) into a slightly odd, terpenic woody green note, something reminiscent of rosemary but not entirely so. It shouldn't be too hard to spot that note in Reflection, and with some attention, its presence becomes more noticeable throughout the opening and early middle notes. I find the pink pepper to be subtle for the first 20-30 minutes, but then it becomes more noticeable as it rounds out the neroli/iris (prominently neroli still) accord and augments the neroli's natural spiciness. The segue from the petitgrain/rosemary opening to the neroli/pepper early middle stage is seamless, so without careful attention all of the subtleties can be missed.

Of course, the naturalness and smoothness of the fragrance is not missed. If this were a lesser scent without a healthy dose of naturals in the opening the transition would not be seamless but instead wouldn't exist as it'd all be far more linear and without the depth and "3D" qualities evident here.

The neroli doesn't last long before the iris begins to dominate and the cool vetiver (smells more like a rhus khus, a vetiver distilled in copper) begins to show itself, too. I think all of the base notes in this blend are the varieties that have the most cool/camphorous qualities: I smell himalayan cedar, rhus khus vetiver, and a hint of camphorous patchouli, too. I know you have experience with most/all of those oils, and think you'll pick up on their presence here.

Anyhow, I hope you revisit the scent as it is easy for this scent to come off as just a simple sweetness but I find it to be so much more. I also think that many are sensitive to the natural orris in it. That and the (I believe, at least partially natural) jasmine are some pretty potent notes. The natural essences have both either given me headaches or made me feel a bit queasy when sniffed at high potency. I've found that it has taken me a long time to really understand all of the subtle complexity going on here and that as I understood it more I smelled much more depth in it and consequently find it to be less feminine than I first thought. Sure, iris, ylang and jasmine coupled together is likely going to register as a feminine accord to most western noses, but I do think it is balanced by the vetiver and patchouli (and less so by the cedar and sandalwood which are not as present to my nose) to at least fall back within the realm of modern floral masculine. It is at least as masculine as scents such as Kenzo Power, Fleur du Male, or Dior Homme, imo.

Sorry for the long write up and my near proselytizing ways. It's really just that as I sit here surrounded by this scent, which has been my unquestionable favorite for over 6 months now (and I don't see it being dethroned anytime soon), I hope for others to find something to love in it, too.

Actually, given how much I know you like Windsor and my less than favorable initial experience with it (I think my experience may have been at least partially hampered by a bout of chemical sensitivity), I'm going to give that a few full wearings soon and try to find something to love.

Peace,
SoS

I still have an official Amouage sample spray, and it still smells too powdery and sweet for me. I have always appreciated the scent, but was expecting a much different overall scent from the notes. I am sensitive to Iris/Orris, and like it....but Reflection and Kobe, as excellent as they are, feature far too much. And reflection features too many sweet/musk notes for me also.
SoS, have you tried Xerjoff's Kobe? as it is one of the more impressive Citrus/Iris/Orris, with a ton of actual Orris Absolute in it. More than Reflection.

Re: Similar fragrances? (Creed and Amouage)

Yup, I absolutely love Kobe. It's the one Xerjoff I would buy if I had the money. Odd that I didn't pick up a huge iris presence in it, but more of a sweetish labdanum and perhaps tolu based amber. I've only given it one full wearing though and a card test. I'll be testing it out again this week along with Windsor and a handful of others I need to revisit that I think were wrongly judged due to my sensitivities. (I wonder, for instance, if I'd still get the strong and sharp gas note I picked up so strongly in Tam Dao before. Sadly, that sample is long gone).